Jeff Perrone on Pat Lasch
Artforum
Summer 1977
“Pat Lasch’s ‘Family Portraits’ resemble cakes. They are white or pink, decorated with thin, icing-like paint. Delicate streamers of ‘frosting’ mesh into ribbons or parting curtains. Sometimes the surfaces break out into roses with discreet green leaves. They resemble old-fashioned announcement cards, or sometimes stages. But they are really like shrines. In the center of each work is one or more photograph, always of a member of the Lasch family. A cake indicates a special occasion. On special occasions one brings out the camera.
Women artists are now discovering a subject matter which has never been explored before in the visual arts. They are not presenting an image of struggle and alienation. The male artist finds a world which demands individuality at the expense of humanity. He must work for rapid change and the obsolescence of values, and make a quick mark on the world. The woman artist sees slow growth and the connections between the personal and the public. She sees the continuity of life as a consequence of biology. Families are symbols in Lasch’s paintings for the prospect of continuity and nonalienation. As symbols, they are enshrined in these lovingly created memoirs of a wispy past.” – Jeff Perrone
